"You will walk next to the car as a punishment for your frivolity." he grumbled as he opened her door. "Stop now! Take that shirt off before you sit down!"
"Miserable whiner!" the girl laughed, pulling off her sweater. "Is that better?"
"Much... better..." he commented, stopping to look at her naked body with no sign of underwear.
Anna threw the wet jacket in his face and ran into a joke fight. Barely disarming her in the backseat, Teo covered her entire body with kisses. He didn't try to go on, didn't hint at anything, he just enjoyed being able to kiss her endlessly. Kiss her everywhere. Where he couldn't before. Where he always wanted.
She responded to his every touch, moaning, saying his name, his touch aroused her, she wanted him, but every time she took the initiative, the brain seemed to stop her and she was glad that Teo was not moving to the next step.
"Anna, you smell awful." calmly noticed Teo.
"Thanks, boo." she smiled.
"I can't take it anymore, honey. It's horrible."
"It's all right, darling. I don't like you either."
After exchanging kicks, they moved to the front seats and drove home. The moon was the only witness to everything on the beach.
Chapter 55
The next morning Anna woke up in a good mood. Teo had been up for a long time, his early risings were impossible to get used to, but he always gave her time for a good night's sleep.
She lazily pulled on leggings and a top, made an elegant tail, leaving some strands of hair loose, washed her face and went out into the hall. Teo was sitting with some young men on a sofa, drinking beer. Just noticing the girl, he waved her to join the group. Anna obediently went in their direction.
"It's her." Teo muttered and his friends whistled appreciatively. Anna made a questioning face.
"So that's who stole the heart of our impenetrable Teo!" exclaimed the lad, head to toe covered in tattoos.
"Beautiful!" the second commented.
Anna grimaced at the comment and Teo hastened to shut the others, changing the subject to a discussion of the latest club tracks.
Anna sat down next to Teo and her eyes fell on the phone on the table. She had to try again. She needed to know that Randall was okay. And she worried about her job, she suspected to have lost her teaching position, and her ridiculous explanations and invented excuses for a sudden departure had clearly exhausted all time limits.
And Mark... surely he worried about her endlessly, and she was selfish to leave like this explaining nothing. And Mom... That was who surely went crazy for not hearing from Anna. The reality, with all its demands for rationality, overwhelmed her. She felt that she had acted frivolously and irresponsibly.
"Teo." she turned to him resolutely. "Can you give me a phone?"
Her voice faltered. She expected Teo's face to change, dismissing her request with threats of trouble if she brought it up again.
"Certainly." he replied and pointed to the phone on the table.
"Oh... OK... Thanks." without waiting for Teo to change his favor, she grabbed the device and hurried into the room.
Chapter 56
As soon as she closed the door behind her, she fell onto her bed, logging in social media and e-mails as she went, scanning messages and missed calls on messengers.
The first thing she did was call her mother and apologize a million times for her shameless behavior, assuring her that everything was fine and that she would be back in Mining City in a few days.
Then she found Mark's number and, without reading 15 messages from him, immediately dialed.
"Yes?" the familiar voice warmed her heart at once.
"Mark, it's me," she began. "I'm sorry I didn't explain but I had to leave."
"Anna? God, finally! I can't believe it! Where are you?"
"I'm back in Milan."
"What are you doing there??"
"I think I'm getting into trouble, consciously."
"What are you talking about?"
"Mark, are you coming?" a woman's voice came from the background.
"Yeah, yeah, give me a minute." Mark said to the stranger.
A pang of jealousy shot through Anna. What's that? Hurt ego maybe. She winced at the discomfort. She hadn't even considered the possibility someone would occupy that Mark's life... other than her. Typical female selfishness. Crab mentality. And the girl's voice reminded her defiantly that Anna was not a wedge of light. And it was painful to hear.
"Ahem. Are you busy?" Anna asked grimly.
"No, no. Anna, are you okay? Get outta there. I don't know what's going on in your head, but I advise you to stop and not make mistakes you will regret."
"Maaaark!" the girl called again, louder.
"It's all right, Mark. Thanks for caring. I'm just having a relationship problem." Anna wanted to know Mark's reaction to that statement. Was he as uncomfortable as she was?
"Um... what's the problem?" there was indeed a note of discontent in his voice.
"Randall cheated on me. And I flew to Milan to be with a guy he hates, to hurt him."
"What a ... wise plan, Anna. Are you thirteen?"
"I know it's stupid... but it hurt so much that I couldn't think of anything else. But it doesn't make sense, because Randall doesn't care about me."
"And this guy?"
"What?"
"The guy he hates doesn't care about you, either?"
"I don't know. Teo's a good man, and he admitted to having feelings for me."
"What feelings?"
"Mark, I don't know! What a question! He said he liked me, then he said he loved me but I guess he said that because the situation was good, and just out of passion. We don't know each other very well, so..."
"I see. Anna, I have to go now, I'm late for the movie, sorry. I'll just tell you that the best thing to do when you see a storm coming is to put down your umbrella and not leave the house at all. Take care. Ciao."
"Thank you. Ciao, Mark."
He hung up. Anna stared at the blank screen for a moment, trying to control the discomfort of her conversation with Mark but she calmed down and began to answer the messages. Letters were infinitely many, and all had to be answered, but burning 9 messages from Randall she studiously ignored, has not yet responded to
all emails and letters from friends and family.
Chapter 57
When she was done, she turned off the phone and tossed it on the bed, ready to return to her guests. As soon as she got out of bed, she stopped and, vainly fighting curiosity and despair, grabbed the phone again and opened Randall's chat.
"Anna, please answer me, this can't go on like this. I need to talk to you."
"You have to stay away from Teo, he's not who you think he is."
"Anna, please write to me. I'm freaking out with worry. You're precious. I have such a mess in my head right now."
"Anna, we need to see each other"
"Fucking hell, Anna!!!!!!"
"Everything is fucked up, I just have a brain drain, I can't do anything. I don't live, I don't eat, I don't go out. Anna, answer!!!!"
"I need to see you and discuss something."
"Anna, please, beautiful, let's meet"
"Anna, I will never stop writing, only when my heart stops, but even then I will appear to you in a dream until I drive you crazy."
She exhaled heavily and wrote back.
"I'll think of something."
The noise of the party filled the hall, many people came, both men and women. She logged out, erasing all history, calls and open correspondence, then went to the mirror and looked at her reflection. Her whole soul longed to see Randall. What if he wanted to tell her he loved her and regretted what had happened? She had to find out at all costs.
From the hall came the sound of guitar playing. Teo was singing a song and there were many admiring female voices. She shared thoughts of their groanings because the talent of Teo was undoubted. Went out into the hall, she discovered him playing "I Will Follow You Into The Dark"
(Death Cab for Cutie author's note) surrounded by a few chicks clearly in love. The ladies kept their eyes on him and seemed to struggle to sit as close as possible. There were so many people in the hall that Anna could not help staggering when she saw the crowd.
"He is smoking hot, isn't he?" Ri whispered in her ear.
Anna shook her head positively.
"Leticia came??"
Ricardo beamed.
"Where is she? Where? Introduce us!" Anna clapped her hands.
He led her through an almost impenetrable wall of flesh into the kitchen where a charming, plump girl stood beaming. She really was gorgeous. Her immaculate white dress accentuated her figure, her shoulder-length curly hair glistened brightly in the chandelier light, and a necklace of beads complimented her already elegant image.
Anna literally ran into her with a hug.
"At last!! Oh!" she exclaimed. "My salvation has come from the company of these plain men!"
Leticia giggled and assured her that Anna's life was saved from that moment on. Teo finished the song in the hall and earned a standing ovation and applause. The girls groaned and asked for an encore. The crowd got back to noisy talking again, ringing glasses with alcohol and discussing the trivial things.
Chapter 58
"Can you help me with the snacks?" Ricardo asked the girls and they both nodded.
Anna and Leticia became friends in a minute. In peeling potatoes and other vegetables, they discussed their lives and dished about everyone around them.
Several other girls joined them. Anna was pleased to be finally in female society, and all went on swimmingly together.
Suddenly the applause was heard from the hall and people shouted in chorus "An-na! An-na! An-na! An-na!".
"What the..." began Anna but Ricardo smiled broadly and grabbed her arm, pulling her into the crowded room.
Anna was genuinely horrified. As she pushed through the smiling, unfamiliar crowd, she struggled to think of a rational explanation for the situation. Ricardo pushed her into the center of the room, where Teo was leaning on his guitar and smirking.
"Teo, what the…" the second attempt to discover the situation was...
Interrupted.
Because Teo took her in his arms and kissed her passionately.
At the same moment, the lights dimmed, Ed Sheeran's romantic song "Perfect" came on and bubbles of different colors appeared in the air. There was a smell of coconut, and Anna saw one guy (already very, very drunk one), pulling light silk, which Anna had not even noticed before, from all the pieces of furniture, exposing huge bouquets of flowers - green roses and tons of cups with coconut cocktails.
They were her favorite flowers. How did Teo know? Anna's eyes widened in surprise and she looked at him admiringly, spinning slowly in the dance.
"Surprise." he whispered. "I know it's nothing compared to what I'd like to show but take it as a sign of my admiration for you." And he sang along to the music.
Anna couldn't find the words, she just hugged him tight and closed her eyes. She could only hope that he would feel her gratitude. Everyone clapped. When the song ended, Teo stood in the center of the room and said loudly so everyone could hear:
"It's her. And I love her."
Everyone whistled and whooped, grabbing the cocktails. There were shouts of approval and admiration. Many girls enviously pouted and said they were wasting precious time at this stupid party.
Anna felt happy to be dressed up accordingly to the moment- her black dress complimented the bright makeup and her wavy curls framed the face in the most exquisite way. She felt the looks of admiration and the genuine compliments on her beauty filled her- and Teo- with pride.
"You're so amazing!" Anna exclaimed."I'm shocked! These are my favorite flowers! How did you know??"
"I..." Teo began mysteriously when the phone rang and his face changed as he looked at the screen.
It was Randall.
Immediately realizing who was calling, Anna grabbed the hand of Teo, trying not to give him the chance to pick up.
"Teo, forget the call. Teo, look at me. Such a romantic moment, please, Teo, let's not spoil it."
Teo gently disengaged his hand and, as if looking sadly at Anna, went into the kitchen. Anna tried to run after him, but as luck would have it, many people started coming up to her with congratulations, endorsements of Teo's gesture, advice on how to keep love alive forever, as if they had announced a wedding.
Tarrying two minutes was enough for Anna to miss the phone talk. When she ran into the kitchen, Teo was standing by the fridge, drinking juice. There were a couple of other people in the kitchen but they evaporated as if they felt the tension.
"Teo. Did you talk to him? What did he say? Why had he called?"
Teo's eyes flashed.
"Maybe you can explain why Randall called me when I decided to surprise you, Anna?"
"Teo, I... I don't know."
"Well, then, I will throw some light on such an important question. You agreed to meet him. And I was clearly not informed."
"What? I just said I'd think about what I could do, I..."
"Do I look like an idiot, Anna?" roared Teo. "Don't you know the concept of respect?? How long can you throw that filth in my face?"
"Teo, stop! Don't say that! I do respect you!"
"Then what kind of meeting is this behind my back? Randall called to inform me you wanted to see him at the center tomorrow, my love! Can I give you a ride to such an important meeting? What time did you agree? At six? Five o'clock? Maybe the meeting will be held at night?"
He tossed the juice box into the bin, turning it over. Anna started to gather up the scattered food but Teo stopped her and held her in both hands, looking into her eyes.
"Teo, you're hurting me!" Anna cried and he released her at once.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to."
"I didn't make an appointment with him. Let me talk to him!"
"Talk? Anything else?"
"I want to know what he's talking about! He asked me to meet him to clear things up and I said I'd think of something."
"So you want to see that bastard after what he did?"
"What?"
"He said you didn't want to talk to him anymore because he fucked some girl. And yet when he whistles at you, you run wheedling to him like a dog."
Grabbing a glass of water from the table, Anna poured it in Teo's face. For a few seconds, he stood as if thunderstruck and Anna thought he would hit her. His eyes filled with fury and Anna automatically covered her face with her hands, expecting a slap or a blow.
"It was the first and last time you did something like that."
Opening her face, she saw Teo step away from her. He was breathing hard and clearly struggling to have a command of his brain.
"Begone." he said through clenched teeth.
"I'm not a dog." Anna said bitterly as she headed out of the kitchen.
Chapter 59
Anna ran into the room and slammed the door violently. Having noticed the mood, Ricardo hurried after her to find out what was wrong.
He knocked timidly but Anna threw a pillow at the door, warning whoever it was to get out.
He opened the door a little and asked what had happened. Seeing that it was Ri, Anna ran to him, took his hand and sat him down on the bed.
"Teo heard from Randall that we would see each other."
"What?"
"Yes, I know, I know, but Ri, listen to me. It's not as simple as you think."
"Anna!" Ricardo's face betrayed shock. "Is that why you were arguing in the kitchen?"
"Yeah. Ri, listen to me. I need your help. Please get Teo to let me go see Randall only once."
"What?? Anna, are you out of your mind?"
"Only you can talk him into it. I don't have a phone. But I need to see Randall. Please, Ri, help me. You're not only Teo's friend but you're also mine. Please, help me!"
"You should hear yourself now!" Ricardo replied angrily, shaking his head. "Why are you tryi
ng to ruin your budding relationship with Teo for this idiot?"
"Ri, please. It's not that simple..."
"I'm not a fool, and I know what your not that simple is. You love Randall, Anna."
Tears welled up in Anna's eyes and she could no longer hide her despair.
"We parted terribly and I can't move forward knowing that I didn't talk to Randall, didn't hear his point about some of the things that happened between us, I didn't give us a chance to say goodbye in a human way. Randall was kind to me, except..."
"He was just having fun with you and you were stupid, thinking about all kinds of love in your head. Listen to what I tell you. You really need to meet Parleo, not for a new drama but to finally see him with different eyes and understand that he's not for you and that you with your silly actions may lose a decent guy who would do anything for you."
"Ri, please, please, help me!"
Ricardo sighed heavily.
"Promise me you won't break Teo's heart. He's like a brother to me, Anna. And I don't want to do anything to hurt him. You promise me you will deal with this shit once and for all and end whatever's going on between you and Randall."
"Thank you, thank you, Ri!" Anna hugged him tightly and he left the room, leaving her to hope that she wouldn't have to go to Randall against Teo's will, jeopardizing everything they were trying to build.
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